Aircraft



March 23, 1948. E. A. STALKER AIRCRAFT Q @am o N I R N o e T m T .l anA nul Patented Mar. 23, 1948 mais@ UNIT STATES PAE-ENTI? GFFLCE AIRCRAFT Edwards stalker, nayv city, Mich.7 Application August-20, 1943,'SerialrNo. 499,391

6 Claim My invention relates to airplanes and particularly to afcombination ofa fuselage and wing. It has forits principal object Vtoprovidela.cornbined fuselage and wing construction whichgfavors the maintenancev of a highlyL curved smooth. flow of air over the wing sectionfnear. the root* of the Wing sothat a-highlift' may bevd'eveloped from a highly cambered` wing while avoiding objectionable loss vof 'energyof theflow over the wing surface by -reasonof the-retardation of the flow usually produced by thetides. of? the fuselage.'

Itv isalso an object to provide afsuitably shaped end shield for the w-ng such y asf the-side ofthe fuselagel over whichV the-.velocityu or the flowis increased so that higln.y lift: offthewng isk maintained throughout'- and even closelyn adj acont the fuselage,

Other objects and advantages-will appear from thev following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings Vwhich illustrate a preferredv embodiment of theinventionI 1 isavsidevelevational view` of an aircraft constructedinaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 1a isa diagrammatic representation of the pressure distribution over the wing construction of this invention;

Fig, 2 is afragmentary top plan oftheaircraft, partly in section;

Fig. 3 is avertical,Vv section alongline 3--3 of Fig. 2 with the flaps depressed;

Figs 4- and 5 are fragmentary views respectively in sectionand in side elevation ofthe fuselageshowing amodied formL of slot.

Whenv highlyv` cambered wings equipped with slotsto provide-high-liftcoefficients by boundary layer control-are combined-with a fuselagevthere is usuallya serious loss oflif-t on the portion-of the wing adjacent the fuselage,y This results from they retardation of the flow in contact withA the sides ofthe fuselageA aboyethe wing, such flow beingth'e same flow l as, that' going over I the upper surface ofthe wing. To make the flow follow a highly cambered wing surface, wing slots are utilized to control the boundary layer. Loss of energy in the ow along the Wing will cause the flow to burble and a loss of energy due to the fuselage would have the same effect causing the flow to burble on the wing and reducing the lift coefficient.

Fig. 1a, shows the pressure distribution curve I over the upper surface of a highly cambered wing having suction slots 2, 3 and 4, this section.

being taken at ay line welll removed: from the fuselage end of the wing and negativepressure being shownv as. ordinates. Curve 5iy showsV the pressure distributionfor a section `near the. `fuselage end ot the wing'. and-while thecurve-is lgenerally similar in pattern thev reduction in the suction above the wing A.is very marked as evidencedby the lower suction ord'inatesi- Fig. 2v shows by Way of illustration an aircraft incorporating thepresent invention. It is shown, as the tail-first orv canard type as with that type it is` relatively easyto provide for greater width of the fuselageatfthevv rearportion of the wingvthanl ati the front portion, However the invention is not limited to thetail rst', type but is fully applicabletotheconventional nose first type where theproperwidth relationship of the fuselage isestabli shed Also the; invention is applicableV to the fuselage or to other' forms of end shieldconstruction.

It will beobserved that the fuselage Wallis curved downstream and outwardl toward the wing tipV forming an Vend; shield fon the; wing. This cjonstricts thefmain relative wind andA causes a reduction in pressurealongrthe fuselage, this reductionbecorning greaterVY in magnitude asv the trailing edge-of the wing is approached. Tha-t is, the suction pulling the flow rearward isprogressively greater with increasing distance downstream frorn the nose ofthe wing establishing a favorable` pressure gradient along theV fuselage.

The suction slotv 8in the side ofthe fuselage 1 also creates a low pressure or suction downstream which favors the continuance ofthe flown along the wing 6 and fuselage surface; VThis slot leads into the compartment 9' extending lengthwise of thefuselage which isv in communication withA the inlet of the blower I0 by means of duct I I. This blower inlet is also in communication with theA slots 2, 3 and 4 in the wing-flaps I3 and HL Suitable controlsarel provided for adjusting the flapsl relativeto thewingmain-body I-2 from7 a raised high speed position? suclrY as shown iny Fig. 1 to a loweredv high lift'f position forming a highly cambered wing surfacel as shown! in Figi. 3.

The blowers Il) and propellers I5 on each side of the aircraft are driven by the shafts I6 from the power source through suitable gear trains. Air is inducted through the upper surface slots 2, 3 and 4 and likewise through the fuselage slot 8 at substantially the trailing edge of the wing. Slot 8 is preferably shaped as shown in Fig. 3 so that as the ap is raised the lower portion of the slots is covered by the flap.

As an alternative construction, the discharge from the blower may be utilized to establish a ow through a discharge slot, Figs. 4 and 5 showing a discharge slot 8a which is connected by means of a suitable duct to the discharge side of the blower to discharge fluid rearward along the fuselage surface above the wing. It may be located forwardly of slot V8 such as the position shown in Fig. or even further forward. Such duct communicates with the blower discharge and thus a rearwardly directed jet is provided which develops a forward propulsive thrust and likewise imparts additional energy to the Surface layer of air immediately adjacent the fuselage.

While the forms of apparatus herein `described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these'precise forms of apparatus,

and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

- 1. Iny combination to form a wing, a wing main body, a flap, means to `support said flap on said body for adjustment to a lowered high lift position forming a highlygcambered wing surface, a fuselage supported by the wing, the width of the fuselage at the wing rear portion beinggreater than'the width at the wing front portion and progressively increasing rearwardly between said portions t0 create a favorable pressure gradient along Ythe fuselage abovethe wing to preserve the lift ofthe wing portion adjacent the side surface ofsaid fuselage, said Vside surface having a slot therein adjacent said rear portion of the wing, and means t0 induce aflow through said slot to augment said favorable pressure gradient.

2. In combination to form a wing, a wing main body, a flap, means to support said flap on said body for adjustment to a lowered high liftposition forming a highly cambered wing surface,-a fuselage supported by the wing, the width of the fuselage at the wing rear portion being greater than the width at the wing front portion and progressivelyY increasing .rearwardly between said portions to create a favorable pressure gradient along the fuselage above the Wing to preserve thelift of the wing portion adjacent the side surface ofsaid fuselage, said side surface having a slot therein at `substantially the trailing edge of said flap, and means to induce a flow through said slotV to Yaugment said favorable pressure gradient. v v 1 I 3. In combination to form-a wing, a wing main body, a flap, means to support said ap on said body for'adjustment from a raised high speed position `to -a loweredV high lift position forming a highly cambered wing surface, an endshield supported Vby said wing, the width of the endY shield at the wing rear portion being greater than the Width at the wing front portion and progressively increasing rearwardly between said portions to create a favorable pressure gradient along said shield above the wing to preserve the lift ofthe wing portion adjacent the side sur- 4 Y face of said end shield, said side surface having a slot therein adjacent said rear portion of the wing, andlmeans to induce a ow through said slot to augment Ysaid favorable pressure gradient.

4. In combination in an aircraft, a wing having an adjustable flap, means to adjust said flap from a raised high speed position to a loweredhigh lift position forming a highly cambered wing surface, said wing having a slot in its upper surface, means to induce a iiow through said slot to control the boundary layer for lift aug-` mentation, a fuselage supported by said wing, means forming a slot in said fuselage adjacent said flap, and means to induce a iiow through said fuselage slot tending to oppose a reversal offlow over the surface of said fuselage above said `wing and the wing upper surface adjacent thereto. g

5. In combination, a .Wing having an adjustable flap, means to adjust said flap from a raised high speed position to a lowered high lift position forming a highly cambered wing surface, a fuselage supported by the wing, said fuselage having a slot in its side surface adjacent the upper surface of said wing ahead ofthe trailing edge thereof, and power operated means to discharge a rearwardly directed jet ow through rsaid Yslot to impart additional energy to the surface `layer of air immediately adjacent the fuselage surface above said flap. -Y fr 6. In combination in an aircraft, a Wing Vhaving an adjustable flap, means to adjust saidfiap from a raised high speed to a lowered high lift position forming a highly cambered wing surface, a fuselage supported by said wing, means formingV portion of said wing adjacent said` fuselage in different flap positions. A.

- EDWARDA. sTALKEVR Y REFERENCES CITED,

The following references le of this patent:

UNITED STATESPATENTS Y Date 'i Number Name f 1,427,872 Verville Sept. 5, 1922 1,704,831 Herbert Mar; 12, 1929 2,041,791 Stalker May26, 1936 2,165,482 Hovgard July 11, 1939 2,274,442 Woodsr f Feb. 24, 1942` 1,725,724 'Ihomas 1 Aug. 20, 192

. FOREIGNA PATENTS Y Number Country 'n Date.

209,435 Great Britain Nov. 27, 1924 504,747V

are of record in the 

